Here's Why Emilia Clarke Turned Down The 'Fifty Shades' Films

posted by Katrina Nattress -
May 26, 2019

Emilia Clarke is not a stranger to nudity — her character Daenerys Targaryen did briefly bare it all in Game of Thrones — but she doesn't want that to define her as an actor. So when she was approached to play Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades franchise, the 32-year-old was hestinant.

"Well, Sam [Taylor-Johnson, the director] is a magician. I love her, and I thought her vision was beautiful. But the last time that I was naked on camera on [Game of Thrones] was a long time ago, and yet it is the only question that I ever get asked because I am a woman," she explained. "And it's annoying as hell and I'm sick and tired of it because I did it for the character — I didn't do it so some guy could check out my tits, for God's sake. So, that coming up, I was like, 'I can't.'"

In fact, she's sick of getting the nudity question, period. "I did a minimal amount and I'm pigeonholed for life, so me saying yes to that, where the entire thing is about sensuality and sex and being naked and all of that stuff, I was just like, 'No way am I going to voluntarily walk into that situation and then never be able to look someone in the eye and be like, 'No, you can't keep asking me this question,'" she concluded.

The role of Steele eventually went to Dakota Johnson, who starred in all three films.